Monday, June 28, 2010

Summer's here!

Dear All,

we've just about reached the halfway mark, and our students are already heavy-hearted with the thought that our time here must eventually come to an end. We've been busy and time just seems to go by faster and faster, like when one approaches the end of a toilet paper role (ok, this is an inside joke, our students have to explain. Klopapier!).

Gorgeous weather has finally reached Germany, ranging somewhere up in the lower 30 degrees Celsius, but without the humidity that seems to currently be plaguing you folks in Indiana. We've made good use of the weather thus far, and last Monday our students either enjoyed the public pool with mega slides (ok, admittedly, it is no Holiday World), or a classic soccer match at the park. Come Tuesday, we were busy doing our creative activities, which continued through to Thursday. Wednesday night was very important, because Germany played a qualifying match to move onto the next round. Just yesterday, we played a historic match against England, and won 4-1/2. Next up is the match this Wednesday against Argentina . It is so lovely to see that all of our students have really gotten involved in the whole spirit of these World games. We really hope that Germany will endure to the final round, and even more that they will ultimately win the Cup. It would make for such an awesome memory, "Yea, I was there, when Germany won the World Cup in 2010...."

On Friday, we finally visited Castle Linn as a group. We've teased our dear student Lynne for some time, that we would be visiting her castle very soon. So when we finally arrived, our students kneeled before her and she was crowned with a crown from the 1 Euro store. It was all very funny. The castle itself was a the perfect opportunity to apply some of the culture we had learned about. The castle originates from the 1000s, and is deeply marked by significant historical episodes, such as the crusades (Barbarossa), mediaeval culture, the Thirty Years' War, and modern times. Everyone was fascinated, and especially enjoyed climbing the castle tower to enjoy the panoramic view of Krefeld and beyond.

The weekend appeared to have been eventful, many travelled beyond Krefeld to cities such as Hamburg or Muenster, the namesake of Munster, Indiana. Our students are very independent, but value the time they share with their peers and host-families, and so the appropriately manage their own time, by planning trips to the city center, enjoying a public viewing of the World Cup, eating German food (none have been tempted by McDonald's, though everybody seems to be craving brownies!), and much more.

Today, Monday, we enjoyed the weather on the edge of town by playing some mini-golf. Everyone enjoyed the game, even when they semed to rack up the points. Each student played with good humor and were even able to laugh at themselves - it seems they've all overcome their inhibitions, something they had to do from the start in order to fully immerse in German.

For this week, we are looking forward to our field trip to Aachen to visit the Dom, Charlemagne and all the other gothic goodies. It is going to be a decadent feast of historic delights.

About Me

Since 1962, the Indiana University Honors Program in Foreign Languages (IUHPFL) has been sending Indiana high school students abroad to not only immerse themselves in language and culture, but also to gain a stronger sense of self.
The IUHPFL has three main components that set it apart from other high school study abroad programs: its academic focus, its Honor Code, which includes the Language Commitment; and the host family experience.